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A Republican gubernatorial candidate in Mississippi defended on Thursday his decision not to give a female reporter solo access to a ride-along trip based on her gender, saying it's his truck, his rules.

"I didn’t want to end up in a situation where me and Miss Campbell were alone for extended period of time throughout that 16-hour day. And, so out of precaution, I wanted to have her bring someone with her, a male colleague," Foster said on Thursday on CNN's "New Day." "The other thing I think is important to point out is this is my truck and in my truck we go by my rules. And that's my rule."

“What you're saying here is a woman is a sexual object first and a reporter second.”

Reporter Larrison Campbell responds in real time to Mississippi State Rep. Robert Foster, who denied her request to accompany him on a campaign trip unless she brought a male colleague. pic.twitter.com/jVqNZvIbsS